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EVANGELICAL  TRACT  SOCIETY,  )  ^q^  Q\ 

Petcrsbnrg,  Va.  \ 


THE 


SUNDAY   MORNING  DREAM. 


[Although  the  following  very  impressive  article  (originally  puV,- 
lislicd  as  a  tract  in  England)  refers  to  the  usages  andobseivauces 
of  a  paiLJouhr  denomination  of  Christians,  its  pungent  rebukes 
pre  seasonable  for  aU.] 

My  flftt  clay  of  retiirninor  health,  after  raAay  weeks  of  se- 
vere illness  was  a  bright  Sunday  in  June.'  I  was  well  enough 
to  sio  at  an  open  window  i?i  my  easy-chair,  and,  as  our  house 
stood  in  a  pleasant  garden  in  the  suburbs  of  London^  the 
first  roses  of  the  year  scented  the  soft  breeze  that  fanned  my 
t)alc  cheek  and  revived  ray  languid  frame.  The  bells  of  our 
parish  church  were  just  beginning  their  chimes,  and  the  fa- 
miliar  soirv'  ••"'•':r-ned  in  me  an  intcfv"  '--••■-•■•  ^^  '>-  v.'itli 
r:3 y  fai":  '0 '  ■  "0  a  v/ -jr:  -^  *  ^  ^^^  *' ;  ' 

took  up  iiiy  i>iui  ^  and  Prayer-Book,  Wi-iCii  nau  i^.  en  j)iaced 
ready  on  tlie  table  beside  me,  intending  to  begin  to  read 
when  the  hour  of  the  eleven  o'clock  service  should  be  an- 
nounced by  the  ceasuig  of  the  bells,  and,. in  the  mean  time, 
closed  my  eyes,  and  soothed  my  impatient  wishes  by  pic- 
turing to  myself  the  shady  avenues  of  blossoming  limes  that 
led  to  our  church,  and  the  throngs  that  v/ould  now  be  enter- 
ing it  for  the  public  worship  of  the  <]ay. 

All  at  once  I  seemed  to  be  walking  in  the  beautiful  church- 
yard, yet  prevented  from  gratifying  my  eager  wish  to  enter 
the  church,  by  some  irresistible  though  unseen  hand.     One 


2  THE    SUNt)AY    MORNlKG    DREAM. 

by  one  the  congregation,  in  tlieir  gay  Sunday  dresses,  passed 
me  by,  and  went  in  where  I  vainly  strove  to  follow.  The 
parish  children  in  two  long  and  orderly  trains  defiled  np  the 
staircases  into  the  galleries,  and,  except  a  few  stragglers  hur- 
rying in,  as  feeling  themselves  late,  I  was  left  alone. 

Suddenly  1  was  conscious  of  some  awful  presence,  and 
felt  myself  addressed  by  a  voice  of  most  sweet  solemnity  in 
words  to  this  effect: —"Mortal,  w^ho  by  divine  mercy  hast 
just  been  permitted  to  return  from  the  gates  of  the  grave, 
pause  before  thou  enterest  God's  holy  house  again;  reflect 
how  often  thou  bast  profaned  his  solemn  public  worship  by 
irreverence,  or  by  inattention,  which  is  in  his  sight  irrever- 
ence:  consider  well  the  great  privilege,  the  unspeakable  ben- 
efit and  blessing,  of  united  prayer,  lest  by  again  abusing  it 
thou  tire  the  patience  of  thy  long  suffering  God,  and  tempt 
him  forcv-er  to  deprive  thee  of  that  which  hitherto  thou  hast 
so  little  valued."  Seeing  me  cast  down  my  eyes  and  blush 
with  conscious  guilt,  the  gracious  being  continued  in  a  milder 
tone  : — "Enter  thou  with  me,  and  thou  shalt,  for  thy  warning, 
be  able  to  discern  those  among  the  devotions  about  to  be 
oflered  which  are  acceptable  to  him,  and  to  see  h6w  few  in 
number,  how  weak  and  unworthy,  they  are." 

As  he  ceased  speaking  I  found  myself  by  the  side  of  the 
angel  still,  but  within  the  church,  and  so  placed  that  I  could 
distinctly  see  every  part  of  the  building. 

"Observe,"  said  the  angel,  "that  those  prayers  which  come 
from  the  heart,  and  which  alone  ascend  on  high,  will  seem  to 
be  uttered  aloud.  They  will  be  more  or  less  audible  in  pro- 
portion to  their  earnest!?i^ss  :  when  the  thoughts  wander 
the  sounds  will  grow  faint,  and  even  cease  altogether." 

This  explained  to  me  why  the  organist,  though  apparently 
playing  with  all  his  might,  produced  no  sound,  and  why, 
presently  after,  when  the  service  began,  though  the  lips  of 
many  moved,  and  all  appeared  attentive,  orily  a  few  faint  mur- 
murings  were  heard. 

How  strange  and  awful  it  was  to  note  the  sort  of  deathlike 
silence  that  prevailed  in  whole  pews,  in  which,  as  was  thus 
evident,  no  heart  was  raised  in  gratitude  to  heaven  !  Even 
in  the  Te  Deum  and  Jubilate,  the  voices  sometimes  sunk  into 
total  silence.     After  the  Creed  there  was  a  low  murmuring  of 


TTlte    SUNDAY    MORNING    DnEA.Nf.  »" 

tho  versiclcs,  and  tjjcn,  distinct  and  clear  above  all  other 
sounds,  a  sweet  childisb  voice  softly  and  reverently  repeated 
the  Lord's  ]^-ayer.  I  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  sound, 
and  distinguished  among  the  pa.ish  children  a  very  little 
boy.  His  hands  were  clasped  together  as  he  knelt,  his  eyes 
were  closed,  his  gentle  face  composed  iu  reverence ;  and,  as 
the  angel  wrote  on  his  tablets  the  words  that  fell  from  those 
infant  lips,  his  smile,  like  a  sunbeam,  illuminated  the  church 
for  a  moment,  and  I  remembered  the  words  of  holy  David, 
where  he  says,  "Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklings 
Thou  hast  perfected  praise." 

IVesently  1  was  again  reminded  of  a  Scripture  passage, — 
the  prayer  of  the  publican.  A  wretched-looking  man,  who 
swept  the  crossing  near  the  church,  lounged  into  the  centre 
aisle  during  the  reading  of  the  lessons,  his  occupation  being 
for  the  hour  suspended.  The  second  lesion  was  the  twenty - 
fourth  chapter  of  St.  Matthew.  Some  verses  attracted  his 
attention :  be  listened  with  more  and  more  seriousness,  until 
at  lenijth  he  put  his  hand  over  his  face  and  exclaimed  aloud, 
"What  will  become  of  me  at  the  day  of  judgment !  Lord, 
have  mercy  on  me,  a  sinner."  That  prayer  was  inserted  on 
the  angel's  tablets.  Oh,  may  it  not  stand  alone,  but  be  an 
awakening  of  better  things  !  May  God  indeed  have  mercy 
on  such  poor  neglected  ones  as  he,  and  raise  up  some  to  teach 
them  and  care  for  their  immortal  souls  ! 

After  this,  growing  accustomed  to  the  broken  murmurs 
and  interrupted  sounds,  I  followed  many  an  humble  Christian 
through  large  portions  of  the  Litany ;  though  often,  wliile  I 
was  listening  with  hopeful  attention,  a  sudden  and  total  pause 
showed  bnt  too  plainly  that  the  thoughts  of  the  kneeling  sup- 
pliant had  wandered  far  away,  and  that  he  who  had  appeared 
BO  earnest  in  his  devotions  had  become  languid  and  silent  like 
the  rest  of  the  congregation. 

"Thou  art  shocked  at  what  thou  hast  observed,"  said  the 
angel :  "I  will  show  thee  greater  abominations  than  these. — 
God  is  strong  and  patient :  he  is  provoked  every  day.  Lis- 
ten now,  and  thou  shalt  hear  the  thoughts oi  all  these  people; 
so  shalt  thou  have  some  faint  idea  of  the  forbearance  God 
continually  exercises  towards  those  who  draw  near  to  him  with 
their  lips,  while  their  hearts  are  far  from  him." 


4  THE  SUNDAY  MORNING  DRSAM. 

As  the  angel  spoke,  my  ears  were  deafened  with  a  clamour 
which  would  have  been  shocking  in  a  public  meeting,  but 
which  here,  in  God's  holy  house,  was  awfully  profane.  The 
countenances  remained  indeed  as  composed  and  serious  as 
before,  the  lips  moved  with  the  words  of  prayer,  but  the 
phrases  they  uttered  were  of  the  world  and  its  occupations. 

"How  shamefully  late  Mrs.  Slack  always  comes !"  said  one 
woman,  who,  looking  over  the  edge  of  her  Prayer-Book,  saw 
her  neighbour  and  a  train  of  daughters  bustle  into  the  next 
pew.  "What  an  example  to  set  to  her  family  1  Thank  good- 
ness, no  one  can  accuse  me  of  that  sin."  "New  bonnets 
again  already  !"  exclaimed  the  last  comer,  returning  the  neigh- 
bourly glance  from  the  other  seat,  eic  she  composed  herself 
to  the  semblance  of  devotion.  "How  they  can  afford  it 
Heaven  only  knows,  and  their  father  owing  all  his  Christmas 
bills  yet.  If  my  girls  look  shabby,  at  least  we  pay  our 
debts." 

"Ah !  there's  Tom  Scott,"  nodded  a  young  man  to  his 
friend  in  the  opposite  gallery :  "he  is  growing  quite  religious 
and  respectable,  I  declare.  He  has  been  at  church  two  Sun- 
days running.     How  much  longer  wall  the  devout  fit  last  ?" 

These  were  shocking  and  striking  examples  of  irreverence. 
There  were  happily  not  many  such ;  the  involuntary  wander- 
ings of  thought  were  more  common. 

I  was  much  interested  in  a  young  couple  near  me,  whose 
attention  for  a  considerable  part  of  the  service  had  been  re- 
markable. From  the  dress  of  the  young  man,  I  judged  him 
to  be  a  clergyman ;  the  lady  wore  deep  mourning.  They 
were  evidently  betrothed  ;  they  read  out  of  one  book.  Grad- 
ually he  forgot  the  awful  presence  in  which  he  stood ;  his 
eyes  wandered  from  the  Bible  to  her  gentle  face,  and,  fixing 
there,  called  off  his  thoughts  from  heaven.  "How  good  she 
is  !"  he  began  to  say ;  "how  attentive  to  her  prayers,  as  to 
all  other  duties  !  What  a  sweet  wife  she  will  aiake  !  How 
happy  I  am  to  have  won  her  love !"  By  this  time  the  coun- 
tenance of  the  young  girl  wore  an  expression  which  showed 
that  she  felt°the  earnestness  of  his  gaze  :  her  eyelids  trem- 
bled, her  attention  wavered ;  and,  though  she  looked  at  the 
book  some  moments  longer,  she  too  began  to  murmur  of 
earthly  things,  and  I  heard  her  say,  "Oh,  how  he  loves  me  ! 


THE    SUNDAY    MORXING    DKKAM.  O 

even  liere  he  cannot  forget  that  I  am  beside  hhn."  It  was 
many  minutes  before  either  of  them  returned  in  spirit  to  their 
devotions. 

As  the  service  proceeded,  the  attention  of  the  congregation 
flagged  more  and  more;  the  hubbub  of  worldly  talk  increased. 
One  man  composed  a  letter  he  intended  to  send,  and  even 
altered  whole  passages  and  rounded  elegant  periods,  without 
one  check  or  recollection  of  the  holy  place  where  he  stood. 
Another  repeated  a  long  dialogue  which  had  passed  between 
himself  and  a  friend  the  night  before,  and  considered  how  ho 
might  have  spoken  more  to" the  purpose.  Some  young  girls 
rehearsed  scenes  with  their  lovers ;  some  recalled  tlie  inci- 
dents of  their  last  ball.  Careful  housewives  planned  schemes 
of  economy,  gave  warning  to  their  servants,  arranged  the 
turning  of  a  gown,  or  decided  on  the  most  becoming  trim- 
Diing  of  a  bonnet. 

To  mo,  conscious  of  the  recording  angel's  presence,  all  this 
solemn  mockery  of  worship  was  frightful.  I  would  have 
given  worlds  to  rouse  this  congregation  to  a  sense  of  what 
they  were  doing ;  and,  to  my  comfort,  I  saw  that  for  the  in- 
voluntary offenders  a  gentle  warning  was  provided. 

A  frown  from  the  angel,  or  the  waving  of  his  impatient 
wings,  as  if  about  to  quit  a  place  so  desecrated,  recalled  the 
wandering  thoughts  of  many  a  soul,  unconscious  whence 
came  the  breath  that  revived  the  dying  flame  of  his  devotions. 
Then  self-blame,  tears  of  penitence  and  bitter  remorse,  of 
which  those  kneeling  nearest  knew  nothing,  wrung  the  heart, 
shocked  at  its  own  careless  ingratitude,  wondering  at  and 
adoring  the  forbearance  of  the  Almighty,  while  more  concen- 
trated thoughts,  and,  I  trust,  more  fervent  prayer,  succeeded 
to  the  momentary  forgetfulness. 

In  spite  of  all  these  helps,  however,  the  amount  of  real 
devotion  was  small ;  and  when  I  looked  at  the  angel's  tablets 
I  was  shocked  to  see  how  little  was  written  therein. 

"Out  of  three  hundred  Christians,"  thought  I,  "assembled, 
after  a  week  of  mercies,  to  praise  and  bless  the  Giver  of  all 
good,  are  these  few  words  the  sum  of  what  they  offer  ?" 

"Look  to  thyself,"  said  the  angel,  reading  my  inmost 
thoughts.  Such  as  these  are,  such  hast  thou  long  beon. — 
Darest  thou,  after  what  has  been  revealed  to  thee,  act  such 


()  THE   SUiXDAY    MORNJNG    i)REAM. 

a  part  again  ?  Oh,  could  tlsy  mortal  cars  bear  to  listen  to  the 
songs  of  the  rejoicing  angels  before  the  throne  of  the  Al- 
mighty, thou  wouldst  indeed  wonder  at  the  condescending 
mercy  which  stoops  to  accept  these  few  faint  wandering  notes 
of  prayer  and  praise.  Yet  the  sinless  angels  veil  their  faces 
before  ITim  in  whose  presence  man  stands  boldly  up  with 
such  mockery  of  worship  as  thou  hast  seen  this  day.  Re- 
member the  solemn  warning,  lest  hereafter  it  be  counted  to 
thee  as  an  aggravation  of  guilt." 

Suddenly  the  sweet,  solemn  voice  ceased,  the  glorious  angel 
disappeared,  and  so  oppressive  seemed  the  silence  and  loneli- 
ness that  I  started  and  awoke.  My  watch  pointed  to  the 
hour  of  eleven.  It  must  have  been  the  stopping  of  the  bells 
that  interrupted  my  slumbers ;  and  all  this  solemn  scene  had 
passed  before  my  mind  in  the  short  siydco  of  a  few  minutes. 

May  the  lesson  I  learned  in  those  few  minutes  never  be 
effaced  from  my  heart!  And  if  this  account  of  them  should 
recall  one  wandering  thought  in  the  house  of  prayer,  or  tea'^h 
any  to  value  more  highly  and  cultivate  more  carefully  the 
privilege  of  joining  in  the  public  worship  of  our  church,  it 
will  not  have  been  written  in  vain. 


THOUGHTS  FOR  SPARE  MOMENTS. 


"WHERE  IS  IT  ?" 

*•/<   was  here — /  had  it  ;  but  wnile  I  luas    thinking  what  I 
loonld  do  toith  it,  it  fled,  andnoio  I  cannot  find  it.'' 

No,  you  cannot  find  it.  You  will  never  see  it  again.  A 
solemn  hour  is  coming  when  you  will  bear  of  it,  and  will  be 
called  to  give  an  account  of  it;  but  it  will  never  be  in  your 
p  :)ssession  again.  .1  moment  of  past  time  can  never  he  recalled. 
Once  gone  from  you,  'tis  gone  for  ever.  A  moment  misirn- 
proved,  perverted,  abused,  is  worse  than  lost.  xVs  it  cannot 
be  recalled,  so  cannot  its  work  be  recalled  nor  altered.  It 
bas  gone  to  tbe  boundless  past,  but  lias  left  its  record  of  evil 
f  )r  an  eternity  to  come.  IIow  many  raoments  of  your  life 
b  ;ve  been  lost — how  many  worse  than  lost!  Yea,  hours, 
days,  months  and  years — long  years  have  been  passed,  and 
they  have  their  record  in  the  great  book  of  reraemberance  ; 
but  they  cannot  return  to  you.  What  is  the  account  which 
they  have  registered  ?  Is  it  an  account  of  penitence  ?  Days, 
months,  and  even  years,  all  spent  in  unbelief  of  heart  and 
enmity  at^ainst  God.  Wonderful  perverseness  of  man  !  Won- 
derful'forbearance  of  God  !  0  sinner,  do  you  think  of  it  as 
your  moments  pass,  that  every  one  is  going  to  make  its  report  for 
the  judgement  day?  Do  you  look  back  on  a  year  that  has 
bjen  spent  in  rebellion  against  God,  and  have  no  fears  of  the 
future  account?  and  have  you  already  lived  ten,  twenty,  thir- 
ty, even  fifty  or  sixty  years,  and  lived  all  this  time  estranged 
from  God  ?  And  have  you  now  no  uneasiness  of  conscience 
respecting  the  past  ?  Have  you  no  anxieties  concerning  the 
endless  future?  Are  you  still  living  in  impenitence,  and  still 
planning  for  the  pursuits  and  pleasures  of  future  years,  with- 


8  THOUGHTS  FOR  SPARE  MOMENTS. 

out  taking  at  all  into  your  account  the  clainas  of  God  on  your 
time  and  service  ?  Care  you  nothing  for  the  sin,  nothing  for 
the  danger  of  living  so  ?  Divine  patience  and  forbearance 
are  great;  but  there  arc  also  such  things  as  divine  justice  and 
divine  wrath.  They  will  not  always  slumber.  You  cannot 
always  cumber  the  ground  in  this  world  of  mercy.  If  you 
do  not  turn  to  God  by  repentance  and  faith  in  his  Son,  the 
word  will  go  forth,  "Cat  hiin  down,  why  curabereth  he  the 
ground  ?"  If  you  wait  for  that  hour,  0  think  of  what  must 
follow  !  An  eternity  of  woe  !  Endless  and  unutterable  sor- 
rows and  sufferings,  and  all  purchased  by  a  fleeting  life  spent 
in  the  pleasures  of  sin  !  Is  it  not  buying  transitory  and  un- 
satisfying ple^isure  at  too  dear  a  rate  ?  Will  a  few  years  of 
sinful  pleasure  on  earth  compensate  for  the  torments  of  those 
fires  which  shall  never  be  quenched  ?  O  no  ;  you  do  not  in- 
tend to  go  to  tliose  torments.  But  keep  it  in  mind,  you  are 
going  there,  swift  as  time  and  your  sins  can  hurry  you  on.  If 
you  delay  but  a  little  longer  the  work  of  repentance,  yon  may 
delay  too  long  to  be  saved.  One  moment  too  many  will  be 
fatal  for  ever.  If  you  wish  not  to  peri'-h  for  ever,  repent  now. 
Professing  Christian,  one  word  with  you.  Where  are  your 
moments?  Do  you  notice  how  they  pass  away?  Are  you 
improving  them  ?  You  are  constantly  flattering  yourself,  that 
at  a  future  day  you  shall  be  more  diligent,  more  prayerful, 
and  more  useful.  Have  you  not  indulged  the  same  thoughts 
for  years  ?  Has  that  time  of  devotion  arrived  ?  Do  you 
find  it  nearer  than  years  ago  ?  Are  you  uow  more  willing  to 
be  wholly  consecrated  to  God  than  you  have  formerly  been  ? 
Are  you  willing  to  say.  Now  I  devote  myself  aneiu  and  toholli/ 
to  the  service  of  God' — I  will  be  more  active,  more  prayerful, 
more  holy,  by  his  grace,  from  this  hour  onward?  Say  it. 
Christian  in  the  fulness  and  sincerity  of  your  heart :  and 
D:]ay  God  enable  you  to  fulfil  the  vow  ! 

"Take  heed  to  thyself,  and  keep  thy  soul  diligent- 


HoUinger  Corp. 
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